As it is generally known, instant messaging, also sometimes referred to as “IM” or “chat”, is a form of real-time communication between two or more people primarily based on typed text. The text and/or other content is conveyed between participants via devices connected over one or more communication networks, such as the Internet. Instant messaging is generally considered to be a synchronous form of communication, in that messages are conveyed immediately, in real-time, between instant messaging session participants that are simultaneously on-line and logged into the instant messaging application. Instant messaging systems have traditionally featured immediate receipt of message delivery confirmation or other status by a message sender. These characteristics stand in contrast to traditional asynchronous communication systems, such as electronic mail, which typically provide some type of store and forward message delivery protocol operating independently from the online status of message recipients. However, some existing instant messaging systems also allow sending instant messages to people that are not currently logged on, as well as saving of instant messaging sessions for future reference.
In today's collaborative work environments, in which instant messaging is increasingly used and relied on for everyday communications, it is often possible for a single user to be interrupted by multiple instant messages that are received at the same time. For example, a user may log into his or her instant messaging client and immediately four or five people will see that they are present online and want to send him or her an instant message. This can be difficult to handle for the receiver of the messages, since they must manually manage the “collision” of the multiple messages sent to them at the same time from multiple senders. Not only does the message recipient have to deal with the potential confusion that may arise from concurrently communicating with multiple parties, but they may also feel under pressure to respond to all of the sending users quickly. The resulting “rushed” service can lead to mistakes on the part of the initial message recipient, and over time can adversely affect their reputation and/or their business effectiveness.
For the above reasons and others, it would be desirable to have an automated solution that prevents users from simultaneously receiving large numbers of instant messages. The solution should preferably operate to determine which instant message(s) should next be delivered to a receiving user based on a real-time determination of prioritization made by the sending users and that accordingly accurately reflects the immediate needs of the sending users.